Rotary engine.



PATENTED JULY 5, 1904.

J. MOHR.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11, 1904.

Patented ul 5, 1904.

PATENT OEEicE.

JOHN MOHR, OF LATROBE, PENNSYLVANIA.

"ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,066, dated July 5, 1904,

Application filed February 11, 1904. Serial No. 193,138. (No model.)

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN MoHR, a citizen of Germany, but purposing to become a citizen of the United States, having taken out first naturalization papersto that end, residing at Latrobe, in the county of Westmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to rotary engines, particularly to engines of that class in which the steam, gas, water, or other motive fluids act on the peripheral portion of a driving-wheel against suitable buckets, apertures, or abutments therefor.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide an improved and exceedingly efiicient engine of this character adapted especially for large or high driving-wheels and by reason of its large dimensions, power, and economy admirably useful as a main source of power in factories and power plants, to provide improved means for utilizing and directing the steam or other motive fluid against the wheel, to utilize the steam in an efiicient manner and its full Working force, to render the engine applicable for use in breweries and other plants where it is necessary to prevent evaporation and moisture in the air, and to improve generally the construction of the wheel and other parts.

The invention will first be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are tobe taken as a part of this specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the claims following this description.

In said drawings, in which corresponding parts in the different figures are indicated by the same reference-symbols, Figure lis a side view of a rotary steam-engine embodying my invention with parts broken away and parts in yertical section. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section through the peripheral portion. of the driving-wheel and a surrounding cover. Fig. 3 is a detail View in longitudinal vertical section of a fragment of the drivingwheel. Fig. 4 is a detail view of afragment of a metal band which is secured around the rim of the driving-wheel. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a fragment of the periphery of the wheel proper, showing its steamcavities. Fig. 6 is a transverse section through the periphery of the driving-wheel and a steamchamber.

Referring to the engine represented in the drawings by specific symbols of reference, the letter (t denotes the driving-wheel, having its shaft or axle b journaled in'suitable bearings and shown mounted in a frame 0. Power is conveyed from the engine to the machine or shaft driven therebyfrom the axle or shaft 5, which may be connected with the said machine or shaft by belts and pulleys or any suitable gearing. The driving-wheel may be of any desired size, but in practice is usually of great diameter, such as from twenty-five to fifty feet or more, and is similar in general construction to the average large fly-wheel of a horizontal power-engine except that the rim of the wheel is made of such material as to resist any unusual chemical or wearing action of the steam or motive fluid and sufiiciently strong and thick not to be seriouslyweakened by the steam-cavities formed in the same, as hereinafter described. The object in having a large driving-wheel is to provide a great leverage for the power applied to the rim or peripheral portion thereof. The above-mentioned steamcavities, (indicated by the letter d,)into which the steam-jets are directed, may be of any appropriate number, size, and shape, according to the size of the driving-wheel and the work for which the engine is designed. Cavities of a form from which good results in economical and effective utilization of steam are obtained are shown in Figs. 3 and 5, in which said cavities are slightly elongated, widened, and deepened at their front ends, have their bottoms rearwardly curved or concaved for receiving the steam, and terminate in front abrupt walls, which separate the cavities of each row and against which the steam acts. Two rows of such cavities are shown in Fig. 5 arranged with each cavity of one row diagonally opposite or between the adjacent ones of the other This band, which may conveniently be made i in sections, has a polished exterior surface and apertures registering with the cavities in the periphery of the driving-wheel. Sa1d apertures are shown oval and smaller than the steam-cavities, which has the-effectof drawing the steam. One or more than two rows of steam-cavities may be provided, if desired.

Steam or other motive fluid under pressure may act on thedriving-wheel in or against its aforesaid steam-cavities (Z all around its circumference or at any desired place or places.

In the illustrated engine provision for action of the steam is attained by a series of steamchambers 9, shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 1 within the frame or casing 0, arranged one above another or consecutively around the rim of the driving-wheel and held against the same by steam-tight joints, permitting rotation of the wheel. Some of these are inletchambers and others exhaust-chambers or, more properly speaking, outlet chambers, and they are arranged alternately, an outletchamber following each inlet-chamber in the direction of rotation of the driving-wheel, which is indicated by the arrow. Symbols g, g, and denote inlet-chambers, and g g, and 9 indicate outlet-chambers. pipe it leads to the firstinlet-chamber 9. advance of this inlet-chamber is the outletchamber g from which a pipe leads to the second inlet-chamber g disposed behind or 1 In advance of this is the second outlet-chamber g, from. which a pipe j leads to the third inlet-chamber highest 1 above the former.

or rearmost of the series. In advance of the chamber is the third outlet-chamber g", from which leads an exhaust-pipe 7c.

drain-pipes Z. fluid from a boiler or other source of supply under pressure is conducted by pipe it to the first inlet-chamber g, in which it acts on the driving-wheel by entering its steam-cavities, j

The steam or fluid which enters such steam-cavities is conveyed thus impelling such wheel.

by rotation of the wheel under the following outlet-chamber 9 where it expands and escapes through pipe 71 to the second inlet-chamber y, where it acts a second time on the wheel. It is again conveyed by rotation of An inlet- In The in- I let-chambers are shown also provided with: In operation steam or motive the wheel to the next outlet-chamber where it escapes and ascends through pipe ,7 to the third inlet-chamber, where it acts a third time. Finally it is conveyed by the revolving steamcavities under the third outlet-chamber, from which it is exhausted through the pipe 71;. It will be understood that the steam or motive fluid is supplied under high pressure, acts first under its initial pressure and each succeeding time under a reduced pressure, which, however, is suflicient to be serviceable. Thus simple and efficient means is provided for utilizing the full pressure and working force of the steam and preventing waste of energy. While the system of chambers and pipes shown for this purpose may be extended, yet it is considered impracticable to utilize a supply of steam more than three times, so the present series is deemed preferable. This system may, however, be duplicated or applied to the wheel at as many places as desired and is in practice usually applied-at threedifferent places, at least. The rear ends of the steamchambers are shown solid for the purpose of forming suflicient separation between the chambers and preventing steam under pressure in the inlet-chambers from leaking or jumping under the walls ofsuchchanibers into the adjacent outlet-chambers.

The showing of the pipes in Fig. 1 is largely diagrammatic, serving to explain the general arrangement and construction, and it will be understood that in practice the pipes are to be of any suitable sizes and proportions to conduct the steam under proper pressure. The inlet-pipe It may be of relatively large diameter to supply a great quantity of steam under initial high pressure, while the pipes d and j are preferably relatively small to prevent undue expansion of the outgoing steam which is being conducted for further action on the driving-wheel. Any appropriate forms for the inlet-chambers and suitable means for applying them to the surface of the wheel may be-adopted. In the present case they areshown substantially inverted-cup-shaped and have flanges fitted steam-tight against the-polished surface of the wheel and provided with oilcups 771. They may be held against the rim of the wheel by means such as hereinafter referred to with reference to the annular cover or housing .0, as shown in Fig. 2, or, as in Fig.

6, each chamber may be riveted or attached to a stand or head 11, adapted to be held by a frame or support with the chamber tight against the wheel.

In Fig. 1 the discharge ends of the inletpipes It, c', and j are shown pointed forward toward the abrupt or straight front walls of the steam-cavities d. This feature of construction is not essential, but it is desirable for the purpose of directing the issuing steam in the direction of rotation of the wheel.

Fitted tightly against the rim of the wheel in such manner as to permit rotation thereof, however, and covering the steam-cavities all around its periphery except at the steamchambers is an annular cover or housing 0. This is shown of substantially semicircular cross-section in Fig. 2, having side flanges provided with oil-cups and held against the wheel by arches or yokes p and tension-rods q, bolted or otherwise attached to the frame 0 and drawing tightly on said cover. As before mentioned, the steam-chambers may be similarly held to the wheel. This cover prevents the evaporation of condensed moisture from the wheel into the atmosphere and keeps the heat from escaping from the steam-heated wheel. Keeping the rim of the wheel heated in this manner prevents unnecessary condensation and consequent loss of energy in reheating at each rotation. At the bottom of the cover is a drain-pipe provided with a cock for draining from the cover condensed steam.

It will beunderstood that the invention is susceptible of various modifications in details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from its scope, and hence I do not desire to be limited to the particular construction shown. For example, in addition to the feasibility of applying the acting devices or system at other places or all around the wheel the same may also be applied to the sides of the wheel or at any points where sufficient leverage may be obtained, and by suitable oppositely-acting arrangements of inlet-chambers and steam-cavities the invention may also be embodied in an oscillating engine. Hence the expression annular series of cavities in the claims is not to be taken as meaning necessarily a circular series, since in an oscillating engine the series may be segmental.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. A rotary engine having, in combination, a driving-wheel, an annular series of cavities therein adapted by coaction with fluid-pressure to rotate the wheel, a plurality of relatively fixed fluid-chambers applied fluid-tight to the wheel so that such cavities revolve thereunder, means for supplying into alternate ones of such chambers motive fluid under pressure which by entering such cavities rotates the wheel, and means for conducting from alternate chambers in advance of the others the fluid conveyed thereto by the revolving cavities.

2. A rotary engine having, in combination, a driving-wheel, an annular series of cavities therein adapted by coaction with fluid-pressure to rotate the wheel, a series of relatively fixed fluid-chambers applied fluid-tight to the wheel so that such cavities revolve thereunder, alternate ones of which are inlet-chambers and located behind the other alternate ones which are outlet-chambers, means for supplyingmotive fluid under pressure into the foremost inlet-chamber, communication between each outlet-chamber and the second rearward inletehamber, except the rearmost outlet-chamber which communicates with the exhaust.

3. A rotary engine having, in combination, a driving-wheel, an annular series of cavities therein adapted by coaction with fluid-pressure to rotate the wheel, a series of relatively fixed fluid-chambers applied fluid-tight to the wheel so that such cavities revolve thereunder, means for supplying motive fluid under pressure into one of such chambers, and means for conducting from a chamber in advance thereof fluid conveyed thereto by the revolving cavities to a rearward chamber for further action on the wheel.

4. In a rotary engine, adriving-wheel, provision for rotating the same by action of steam or other fluid therein, and an annular concave cover fitted fluid-tight around the portion of the wheel acted on by the fluid except at the place or places of action and having a drainpipe.

5. In a rotary engine, a driving-wheel having cavities in its rim adapted by coaction with fluidrpressure to rotate the wheel, a polished metal band secured around the wheel having apertures registering with such cavities, fluid .inlet and outlet chambers applied fluid-tight 

